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Methods of Work Lifting mechanism for sheet goods Working in a small shop has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that there is not always someone around to help with the heavy lifting. I added a larger auxiliary top to the tablesaw to make it easier to handle full sheets of plywood, but getting the plywood onto the saw was still a problem. To solve that difficulty, I outfitted the saw table with a lift that allows one person to raise a sheet of plywood onto the saw easily and with less risk of damage. Auxiliary table T Side arm ablesaw Improving the performance of spade bits Lift for plywood sheets File notches in cutting edges of spade bit to cut a cleaner hole. EDITED AND DRAWN BY JIM RICHEY the sheet goods. Let a lx4 cliagonal brace into the 2x4s, to keep the lift from racking. Screw a 2x4 stop block to the floor so that the lift stays approximately from the table. This will keep the lift from binding when under a load and keep a sheet of plywood from tipping back toward you after you place it on the lift. To use the lift, set a sheet of plywood on the angle-iron ledge \4 and lift the sheet level with the table. Then simply push the sheet onto the table and slide it into place for ripping workpieces to size. -Garett S. Craft, Rantoul, Ill. in. off the floor and at a slight angle away Angle-iron ledge The construction is simple. Cut two 2x4 side arms approximate- ly 1 in. longer than the height of the table. Drill and attach the side anns, one to each side of the auxiliary table, so that they will pivot (I used Y.!-in. bolts with washers and nuts). Cut a length of 2x2 angle iron long enough wood handle to the underside of the angle iron and then secure the angle iron to the bottom of the side arms to provide a ledge for to Load sheet onto angle-iron ledge. Pull up level with table and slide plywood onto table surface. span the side arms. Screw a Y.!-in. ply- Woodworkers often overlook the lowly spade bit, but it does have some advantages. It certainly is the cheapest bit and the easiest to sharpen. And if you need a nonstandard size or a tapered hole, you can easily grind a bit off the sides. It does not drill a clean hole, you say? Well, just file a notch on each edge of the blade, as shown in the sketch. Essentially you are making spurs to sever the wood fibers cleanly on the wall of the hole. As you drill, go slowly when the flat of the bit first contacts the work. You will find that the wall of the hole will be crisp and clean-maybe even cleaner than with those other fancier bits. -Tim Hanson, Indianapolis, Ind. Quick tip: When working with sheet goods, I u'im the pieces to an approximate size with a handheld circular saw. Then, before I make any final cuts, I put down a piece of 2-in. masking tape, Stop block Garett S. Craft won an engraved Lie-Nielsen handplane for his winning tip that takes the grunting out of hoisting sheets of plywood. Craft worked part-time in his father's cabinet shop in Rantoul, III., while he studied industrial design at the nearby University of Illinois. After graduating in 1997, he came back to work full-time rather than spend his days sitting in an office. He likes the freedom to take off and go fishing once in a while. Send us your best tip, along with any photos or sketches (we'll redraw them) to Methods of Work, Fine Woodworking, P.O. Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506. A reward for the best tip